The “Small-Batch Baking” books are all about baking for two. It is a fantastic idea; you get automatic portion control and no leftovers. You can bake just enough cakes, tarts, scones, muffins, cookies and pies for two servings. It’s great for singles, couples, and even baking with children.

Debby’s new book Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers makes your mouth water just thumbing through titles like Chocolate-Covered Cherry Almond Tart, Dark Sweet Chocolate Almond or Toffee Biscotti, Chocolate Raspberry Cake Roll or Chocolate Baklava, just to name a few. You will be able to find a dessert for any occasion. I know that the chocolate cake with sour cream chocolate ganache on the cover will be baked at my house for an upcoming birthday.

Since I am a huge Nutella fan, I decided to try Debby’s recipe for Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies first. The cookies consist of two crunchy hazelnut cookies sandwiched together with a chocolate hazelnut cream filling. The outside is rolled in chopped hazelnuts and Debby recommends serving the cookies with a glass of bubbly.

Imagine a much tastier version of a Ferrero Roche. More flavor intense and a lot crunchier because of the bigger ratio of the cookie to the cream. Forget anything you have ever tried before and hurry, yes, HURRY in the kitchen and start baking right now! These cookies are to die for.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon pad or parchment paper.

Toast and skin hazelnuts. Further instructions (use towel method) here. Place the cooled nuts in a food processor fitted with the knife blade. Pulse the processor until the hazelnuts are chopped very finely (about 25 times). Take out 1/4 of a cup of the nuts and set aside for later. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to the nuts left in the food processor. Pulse until well combined (just a few pulses). Add the butter and egg yolk and pulse the mixture until a dough forms.

Divide the dough in 12 equal pieces (I like to measure mine on the scale). Roll them into balls and set them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press the balls flat by using a buttered glass dipped in sugar. Bake cookies on the center of the oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Don’t overbake!

Let cool on a wire rack.

for the filling:

Melt chocolate in the microwave on medium until softened, about 1 minute. Let it come to room temperature and mix in the butter and sugar, followed by the Nutella.

Sandwich two cookies together by spreading on the Nutella filling. Also cover the edges with some of the spread and roll them in the previously set aside chopped hazelnuts.

* become a follower of “My Kitchen in the Rockies” via Google friend connect
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* this giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only (sorry my international readers)
* the giveaway will close on April 30th, 12:00 am MST

The winner will be picked randomly and announced beginning of May. Debby Maugans’ publisher will ship the book directly to you, so please make sure to contact me quickly with your address/shipping information if you are the winner.

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I just made these cookies and WOW, they are amazing! My only stipulation is I don't understand how you were able to melt your chocolate in the microwave. Mine burned after one minute and filled the whole thing with smoke. I ended up just using nutella and they were absolutely perfect. Next time I will try melting the chocolate the proper way.

Hi Kirsten,My favorite chocolate dessert is a spectacular chocolate mousse cake that I've made a couple of times for birthdays. The dark chocolate layers are filled with a fluffy whipped cream mousse, and the cake is iced in a really nice, premium dark chocolate ganache. Then (yes, there's more!), the whole cake is covered with grated chocolate. It's absolute heaven. And, you'd better have a lot of people around to eat it! Which makes the appeal of Debby Maugans's book all the more relevant. Sometimes all one really needs is just a couple of servings–not a couple dozen!

I am a huge chocolate cake fan. I found your blog through The Bakery Box and am so excited to look around. I have a dessert blog, small but lots of fun. Check it out… cupcakeswithsprinkles.blogspot.com

This looks fabulous on so many levels. I need this book for small batches so I don't have to bake and give away everything I make! I just bought a container of hazelnuts at Sunflower Market and I now have a use for them. AND it's not overdone with the Nutella!

Wow, what a great idea — small-batch baking, that is. I very rarely bake because recipes are always too much for two. I'm so excited I've already ordered both small-batch cook books. thanks for featuring this!

Great concept for a cook book!!! My fave chocolate dessert is chocolate ice cream …. no wait, chocolate brownies … nope, maybe a chocolate souffle … but then a good old chocolate mousse is pretty fine too!! Oh I just can't decide lol, just as well I don't live int he states hehehehe

Ditto on the Nutella! These cookies look divine! My favorite chocolate dessert would probably be molten chocolate cake . . . looks like a nice cookbook, lucky you to be contacted by the author! That must have been exciting! Oh, I'm a Follower!